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Orange County is one of the best places in California to be a runner. The weather is good, the scenery is better, and the running community is the kind that makes you want to show up even on the days you don’t feel like it.
Whether you’re coming into town for the Beer City Half or you already call Orange County home, here’s everything you need to find your people and find your route.
Run Clubs in Orange County, CA
Running alone is fine. Running with a group is better. These Southern California running clubs will push you, pace you, and probably make you forget how far you’ve gone. No matter where you’re starting from, there’s a spot for you here.
1. OC Craft Beer Runners
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- Run Locations: Different breweries around Orange County
OC Craft Beer Runners is the perfect mashup of two things Beer City lives for: a good run and a great pint. The club meets every Monday night at a different OC craft beer bar and covers 3 to 4 miles before the real reward kicks in.
The post-run pint is the whole point, and the rotating location means you’ll work your way through some of Orange County’s best breweries one Monday at a time. Founded by Sean Berringer years ago on Instagram and now carried forward by a tight-knit crew, this group is built for runners who treat beer as a finish line, not a guilty pleasure. Follow them on Instagram for the week’s meetup spot.
2. Fast Friends Run Club at Everywhere Brewing (Formerly Mikkeller OC)
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- Run Locations: Different breweries around Orange County
Fast Friends is a beer-and-run community with deep local roots. The club was previously tied to Mikkeller OC before transitioning to its current home at Everywhere Brewing in Orange County, and the crew has kept the same energy through the move.
The format is exactly what you’d hope for: meet at the brewery, knock out a casual social run, then come back for a beer and conversation with people who genuinely love both. Follow them for updates to their run schedule.
3. A Snail's Pace Running Club
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- Run Locations: Monrovia, Chino Hills, Brea, Mission Viejo, HB/Fountain Valley
Don’t let the name fool you. A Snail’s Pace is one of the most energetic and well-established running communities in all of Southern California, with roots going back to the 1980s.
The club runs out of multiple OC locations throughout the week, typically covering a 5-mile loop announced in advance on Strava, and their Brea location meets Tuesday evenings at 6pm.
Membership gets you access to personalized coaching programs built for 5K, 10K, 13.1, and 26.2 distances, so whether you’re eyeing the Beer Stroll or the full Beer City Half, they’ve got a plan for you.
4. Cal Coast Track Club
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- Run Location: Newport Beach
If you want to get fast, Cal Coast is where you go. Based in Newport Beach, this club trains three days a week with sessions built around specific goals: Tuesday evening track intervals at Corona Del Mar High School, Thursday evening tempo runs at Vista Point near Back Bay, and Saturday morning long runs back at Corona Del Mar.
The club welcomes everyone from first-time 5K hopefuls to elite athletes, and membership includes individual coaching and a racing singlet to make it official. This is structured, coach-led training that will have you crossing the finish line stronger than you expected.
5. RunOC
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- Run Locations: Irvine, Tustin, Newport Beach
RunOC is a free, social run club based in Irvine that runs three days a week across multiple OC locations, so there’s likely a run happening near you. The club is built around the idea that running is better when it’s social, and the vibe backs that up completely.
Monday evenings kick off the week with a trail run through Peters Canyon Regional Park in Tustin, starting at Citrus Ranch Park at 6:15pm with varied terrain for all levels.
Wednesday evenings meet-up at 6pm at Cypress Village Shopping Center for a 2-4 mile run along the Jeffrey Open Space Trail, followed by food and hangout time after.
Sunday mornings bring the crew to the Newport Balboa Bike Trail near Newport Pier at 7:45am for an out-and-back at whatever pace you’re feeling, and then the group heads to Baja Sharkeez for breakfast and mimosas.
6. South Coast Roadrunners
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- Run Locations: Newport Beach, Irvine, Tustin
The South Coast Roadrunners run multiple days per week at a variety of paces and distances, and they organize a group run at a local race every single month.
New members are welcomed monthly at the Heritage Park Run Club Meeting in Irvine and then wraps-up at Lamppost Pizza, which tells you everything you need to know about this group’s priorities. They take their running seriously and their post-run social time just as seriously, making this a perfect fit for the Beer City crowd.
7. Fleet Feet Running Club Laguna Niguel
Fleet Feet’s Laguna Niguel running club is free, welcoming, and built around the simple idea that running is more fun when you do it with other people. This isn’t a structured training program with workouts and pacing groups. It’s a community run club for walkers and runners of all experience levels who want to show up, log some miles, and meet good people while doing it.
The club meets every Saturday at 7:30am, with locations that rotate around South OC’s best trails and parks (recent meetups have kicked off at Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park).
Running Routes in Orange County, CA
Forty miles of coastline. Trails that wind through canyons and bluffs. Flat paved paths built for long runs. OC has no shortage of places to put in the work, and most of them happen to be stunning. Here are the routes worth knowing before race day.
8. Santa Ana River Trail
This is the one you need to know. The Santa Ana River Trail runs 30 miles between Huntington Beach and Riverside with paved paths on both sides of the river and multiple entry points throughout the county.
It’s also the course that the Beer City Half runs on, taking you through Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach. Running sections of it before race day isn’t just good training; it’s a course preview that will make you feel locked in on the morning of the race.
9. Newport Back Bay Loop
The Back Bay Loop in Newport Beach is a 10.5-mile paved and mostly flat route that winds around one of Southern California’s last remaining natural estuaries, and it looks absolutely nothing like the suburban OC you drove through to get there.
The trail hugs Upper Newport Bay, where the low flats fill with pickleweed and eel grass, cattails crowd the water’s edge, and Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, and American Egrets stalk the mudflats like they own the place.
The flat profile makes it a go-to for tempo work or easy long runs, and multiple entry points let you start wherever is convenient and customize your distance. Key stops along the way include Upper Castaways Park, the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, and Big Canyon, where the dense vegetation can make you feel like you’ve somehow ended up in the Everglades instead of Newport Beach.
The trail also connects to the 22-mile Mountains-to-Sea National Recreation Trail, so if you ever want to extend the adventure well beyond 10.5 miles, the option is right there. It’s a route you’ll want to run more than once.
10. Balboa Peninsula and Newport Beach Pier
Three miles of paved beachfront, ocean views, two iconic piers, and one very good excuse to keep going.
The Balboa Peninsula path stretches from Newport Beach Pier to Balboa Pier, and combining both gets you to about 7 miles total. Hop the ferry over to Balboa Island and add a 2.5-mile loop around the island’s perimeter for a run that feels more like an adventure than a training session.
11. Crystal Cove State Park
The Crystal Cove State Park trails give you two completely different running experiences depending on what you’re after. The 2.5-mile paved coastal trail hugs the bluffs with open ocean views, while the backcountry trails in Moro Canyon stretch out to 10-plus miles with real elevation gain.
If you want to build strength and see something beautiful while doing it, Crystal Cove is the answer. It’s the kind of run that reminds you why you started running in the first place.
12. Laguna Niguel and Dana Point Waterfront
This stretch of coastline is legitimately one of the most spectacular places to run in all of Southern California. Headlands and cliffs overlooking Dana Point and Strands Beach, connected parks and harbor paths, and enough flexibility to build a run anywhere from a few easy miles to a full long effort.
Save this one for a day when you need a reminder that training is a privilege, not a chore.
Lace Up. Show Up. Beer City OC is Waiting.
Lace Up. Show Up. Beer City OC is Waiting.
Beer City OC goes down on November 7, 2026 at Centennial Park in Santa Ana, with a half marathon, 10K, 5K, and the 1-mile Beer Stroll. The trails are ready. The clubs are waiting. All you have to do is show up. Register at beercityfest.com/orange-county.
Meet Your Local Beer City Ambassador: Emmett Raw
Every Beer City community has someone who embodies what the brand is all about, and in Orange County, that’s Emmett Raw. As the local Beer City Ambassador, Emmett is the person to follow if you want to plug into the OC running and beer scene the way it’s meant to be experienced.
Give him a follow on Instagram @emmettrahl for race recs, run club meetups, brewery tips, and a steady stream of reasons to lace up and show up.
People Also Ask These Questions About Run Clubs and Running Routes in Orange County
If you’re brand new to running, RunOC is the easiest entry point. The Wednesday evening run along the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine welcomes every pace, the distance is a manageable 2 to 4 miles, and nobody gets left behind. A Snail’s Pace Running Club is another strong option for beginners thanks to their coaching programs built specifically for first-time 5K and 10K runners.
The Balboa Peninsula path in Newport Beach gives you 3 miles of paved beachfront with views of the Pacific and two iconic piers. For something longer and more dramatic, head south to Crystal Cove State Park or the Laguna Niguel and Dana Point waterfront, where bluffs and headlands deliver some of the most scenic coastal running in all of Southern California.
The Santa Ana River Trail is your best bet. It runs 30 miles between Huntington Beach and Riverside with paved paths on both sides of the river, so you can dial in any distance you need. Bonus: the Beer City Half course runs along this trail, so your long runs double as a course preview.
Yes. RunOC is completely free with three weekly runs across Irvine, Tustin, and Newport Beach. Most fleet feet stores and local running shops also host free group runs throughout the week, and the South Coast Roadrunners host a free new members night the first Thursday of every month at Heritage Park in Irvine.